passports
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free skin care · Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:07 pm

i'm from vancouver BC canada, and i am planning on making a trip out to las vegas in the summer. I need to get a passport, i know the line ups for passports are rediculous right now.. has anybody gotten a passport recently? What types of papers or information do i have to bring to get my passport done?

free skin care · Mon Apr 23, 2007 1:19 pm

Hi BC girl, I'm from Vancouver too. I was planning to go on a trip this May but I cancelled it cuz I don't think I'll be able to get a passport by then. Anyways, you need to get your passport photos done first of all. Get one of your photo signed by a guarantor. You also need 2 IDs to bring to your office such as a * spam * and * spam * card. If you're not sure, they have all the instructions on the passport application form which u pick up at the post office. Hope this helps Smile

free skin care · Mon Apr 23, 2007 2:01 pm

We just applied for passports in early Dec. You need to get your passport photos, we just went to Wal-mart. You can go to this web site http://www.pptc.gc.ca/can/index.aspx?lang=e and download the application form, fill it out, have your guarantor sign it and one of your photos. You will also need proof of Canadian * spam * (birth certificate) and one other document to support your identity (* spam *, health card). Then you mail it all in with your fee, or you can do as we did and go to one of the passport offices. If you do this, then you won't have to leave your ID. It was about a 2 hour wait, but we received our passports about 2-3 weeks later. It was quicker than I thought it would be.

free skin care · Mon Apr 23, 2007 6:34 pm

We (myself, son, daughter) applied for our passports 7/8 weeks ago. Only my son has received his. I'm getting worried because we are travelling to Germany in mid-May.

free skin care · Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:11 pm

I applied for my passport last year (I went to one of the offices) and received it within two weeks by Expresspost.

I think you should contact them to see what the delay is about.

free skin care · Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:22 pm

One guy in my office has to take a day off work to wait in the line. Guess how long he waited? 8 straight hours! I don't understand why the passport office couldn't add some extra staff to alleviate the sudden work load. Its a trade-off between all that lost productivity and labor cost.
And another thing annoys me is why the Canadian passport only good for 5 years, actually 4.5 years indeed, since you are not allowed to travel with a passport that expiring in 6 months. All the cost and time to get a passport ... enough venting from me.

free skin care · Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:27 pm

8 hours? I went first thing in the morning and was done in two hours.

free skin care · Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:00 pm

iaimei wrote:

One guy in my office has to take a day off work to wait in the line. Guess how long he waited? 8 straight hours! I don't understand why the passport office couldn't add some extra staff to alleviate the sudden work load. Its a trade-off between all that lost productivity and labor cost.
And another thing annoys me is why the Canadian passport only good for 5 years, actually 4.5 years indeed, since you are not allowed to travel with a passport that expiring in 6 months. All the cost and time to get a passport ... enough venting from me.

I know how you feel. We had to get a passport for my son when he was only 4 months old. First of all, the photo regulations that you have to follow are ridiculous for a young baby. And we didn't have a birth certificate, in fact we were still waiting on his birth to be registered (another group that needs more staff) so we had to go back to where we had the baby, which was 3 hours away and get a proof of birth letter from the town hall, which cost more than the passport. Then we had to go to the passport office and get a passport. But this passport is only a temporary 6 month passport, but we still had to pay the full fee. I have recently received his birth certificate, so now I have to send in his passport and another $12 so they will extend it to the 3 years. Very frustrating.

free skin care · Tue Apr 24, 2007 7:36 am

I just got my passport yesterday, and what a process it was. Follow my directions and you'll be in and out in no time. The Passport Canada offices are literally overflowing right now because of the new change stating you need a passport to enter the US by air. Everyone's doing it at once.

Go to Walmart. You get two passport photos taken for 14 bucks. It takes about 5 minutes to get them processed, so, no big deal.
Have a birth certificate onhand. You'll need this as your sole indentifying document, or a Certificate of Canadian * spam *. It's one or the other. If you lost your birth certificate, you'll need to head down to Vital Statistics Canada, where you can pay 26 dollars for a short-form certificate. It takes about 20 minutes.
Have at least one supporting identifying document. This means your licence, your health card, etc.

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP:

http://www.pptc.gc.ca/can/pol_on-line_form.aspx?lang=e

USE THIS LINK TO FILL OUT YOUR APPLICATION. Do NOT get an application from the post office or anywhere else!
If you fill out the application online, the information will be stored for you and you will not have to wait in the line up. I can't stress this enough. Last Friday, my mom and I went in to get our passports done, and there were 45-50 people ahead of us waiting, with about 13 being processed per hour. This is because all of their info has to be entered manually. If done over the computer, you will not have to wait behind those who need this done, and you won't have to wait for the agents to enter your info. Yesterday, my mom and I went in again after processing the info on the site and printing out the applications that way. As before, there was a good 50 people there- we walked in, said we already filed online, and were processed in the next two minutes.

I don't know why Passport Canada is so quiet about this. This is why the waiting times are so long- so do your application on the site, print it out exactly as they say, and then for the last step.

Take your application and photos to a guarantor. I got my doctor to sign my application, and one of my photos.

Then, bring all your stuff to Passport Canada. After not waiting for an obscenely long time, you'll give them your photos, application, and let them look at your birth certificate and the supporting documents. You'll pay 87 dollars, and it'll take two weeks (10 working days) before they mail it out. So you're looking at a mere three week wait.

Good luck! I wish I had known how to do it the first time.

free skin care · Tue Apr 24, 2007 11:55 pm

thanks alot for the help.

I want to go to Las Vegas in about 4-5 weeks, do u think if i fill out my passport info and get my photo's done now, will i recieve my passport in a few weeks?

how long does it take right now to recieve passport?

free skin care · Wed Apr 25, 2007 3:15 am

I'm leaving in about that amount of time too, going to California, so I got mine done ASAP. Even though it'll only take 2-3 weeks, you never know when the volume of passport applications will increase, and you'll have to wait.

However, if you think you'll run into trouble with the dates they give you, you can pay an extra 10 dollars for what they call a "Pick Up" and they'll put a little rush on it.

free skin care · Wed Apr 25, 2007 8:09 pm

FrevaKZ wrote:

I just got my passport yesterday, and what a process it was. Follow my directions and you'll be in and out in no time. The Passport Canada offices are literally overflowing right now because of the new change stating you need a passport to enter the US by air. Everyone's doing it at once.

Go to Walmart. You get two passport photos taken for 14 bucks. It takes about 5 minutes to get them processed, so, no big deal.
Have a birth certificate onhand. You'll need this as your sole indentifying document, or a Certificate of Canadian * spam *. It's one or the other. If you lost your birth certificate, you'll need to head down to Vital Statistics Canada, where you can pay 26 dollars for a short-form certificate. It takes about 20 minutes.
Have at least one supporting identifying document. This means your licence, your health card, etc.

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP:

http://www.pptc.gc.ca/can/pol_on-line_form.aspx?lang=e

USE THIS LINK TO FILL OUT YOUR APPLICATION. Do NOT get an application from the post office or anywhere else!
If you fill out the application online, the information will be stored for you and you will not have to wait in the line up. I can't stress this enough. Last Friday, my mom and I went in to get our passports done, and there were 45-50 people ahead of us waiting, with about 13 being processed per hour. This is because all of their info has to be entered manually. If done over the computer, you will not have to wait behind those who need this done, and you won't have to wait for the agents to enter your info. Yesterday, my mom and I went in again after processing the info on the site and printing out the applications that way. As before, there was a good 50 people there- we walked in, said we already filed online, and were processed in the next two minutes.

I don't know why Passport Canada is so quiet about this. This is why the waiting times are so long- so do your application on the site, print it out exactly as they say, and then for the last step.

Take your application and photos to a guarantor. I got my doctor to sign my application, and one of my photos.

Then, bring all your stuff to Passport Canada. After not waiting for an obscenely long time, you'll give them your photos, application, and let them look at your birth certificate and the supporting documents. You'll pay 87 dollars, and it'll take two weeks (10 working days) before they mail it out. So you're looking at a mere three week wait.

Good luck! I wish I had known how to do it the first time.

Thank you FrevaKZ for the detailed info! So if u filed online, do u still have to wait in line to get in? So u just went inside and who do u talk to? hhm I know I sound stupid but I'm just confused as to how do I get to an agent when everyone is lining up. Hope u understand what I'm trying to ask here

free skin care · Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:11 am

Oh yeah I do, haha. Basically, there are three lines, A, B and C. The "A" line was for people who had to have their info entered manually. Thus it was the longest line and had a good 50 people waiting both times. Line "C" was the one I was in, for the people who filed online.

You go in and there will be a reception desk and they'll ask you if you filed online or have a passport with you (I'm unsure of what Line B is, sorry) and you'll state which. Then they'll give you a number according to your letter.

When you file online, you still have to wait in a lineup, albeit a very small one (at least it was for me, since this set up seems very hush hush). We waited for about two minutes before our number was called- yes, just one person ahead of us in our line Laughing

The "A" line must have been looking at us with hatred in their eyes!

You'll notice when you do that application that it'll say somewhere near the top "Step ahead of the line" indicating that your information will be stored as you go along and save it.

free skin care · Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:12 pm

Thanks again FrevaKZ! But do u still need to line up outside the office? I heard there is a huge lineup outside the office into the street.

free skin care · Fri Apr 27, 2007 10:36 am

It just depends on where the office is. I live in Halifax, and our Passport Canada was up on the 15th floor. All of the seats were taken, and a lot of people opted to wander the hallways or the building while they waited. The room was pretty small. I'm sure it's different in each location.

free skin care · Fri Apr 27, 2007 12:35 pm

You can get your passport in a few hours (for an extra fee), if you have a ticket indicating that you have to travel in one week or so.

free skin care · Sun Apr 29, 2007 1:06 am

Lara1 wrote:

You can get your passport in a few hours (for an extra fee), if you have a ticket indicating that you have to travel in one week or so.

I know that you can pay an extra fee to expediate the passport process and (hopefully) receive it within a week to 10 days. But I have never known anyone to receive their passport "in a few hours" (regardless of impending travel plans or airline tickets). Apart from the applicants information needing to be verified through Ottawa, it would be impossible for the passport book alone to be printed and received within this minuscule time-frame as the individual passport offices do not produce these documents inhouse. Passports not only feature a digitally printed photo of the bearer that is embedded into the identification page of the booklet, they also contain holographic images and a second hidden photo of the bearer that can only be viewed under ultraviolet light. This requires highly specialized printing equipment (using similar technologies to those that print money). Security reasons alone would prevent any office location from having this equipment onsite.

free skin care · Sun Apr 29, 2007 6:45 am

ScotsLass wrote:

Lara1 wrote:

You can get your passport in a few hours (for an extra fee), if you have a ticket indicating that you have to travel in one week or so.

I know that you can pay an extra fee to expediate the passport process and (hopefully) receive it within a week to 10 days. But I have never known anyone to receive their passport "in a few hours" (regardless of impending travel plans or airline tickets). Apart from the applicants information needing to be verified through Ottawa, it would be impossible for the passport book alone to be printed and received within this minuscule time-frame as the individual passport offices do not produce these documents inhouse. Passports not only feature a digitally printed photo of the bearer that is embedded into the identification page of the booklet, they also contain holographic images and a second hidden photo of the bearer that can only be viewed under ultraviolet light. This requires highly specialized printing equipment (using similar technologies to those that print money). Security reasons alone would prevent any office location from having this equipment onsite.

If one already have a passport and have to travel, in case his/her passport will expire in six months or one year, one can renew passport in a few hours by showing a plane ticket and paying an extra fee.
It takes longer only for the first time applying candidates, as government have to go through a long process of verifying the documents. For the fist time candidates they will not be able to make passport in a few hours. When I apply first time, my passport was ready in one month.
Just go to the office and ask.

free skin care · Sun Apr 29, 2007 8:28 am

Lara1 wrote:

ScotsLass wrote:

Lara1 wrote:

You can get your passport in a few hours (for an extra fee), if you have a ticket indicating that you have to travel in one week or so.

I know that you can pay an extra fee to expediate the passport process and (hopefully) receive it within a week to 10 days. But I have never known anyone to receive their passport "in a few hours" (regardless of impending travel plans or airline tickets). Apart from the applicants information needing to be verified through Ottawa, it would be impossible for the passport book alone to be printed and received within this minuscule time-frame as the individual passport offices do not produce these documents inhouse. Passports not only feature a digitally printed photo of the bearer that is embedded into the identification page of the booklet, they also contain holographic images and a second hidden photo of the bearer that can only be viewed under ultraviolet light. This requires highly specialized printing equipment (using similar technologies to those that print money). Security reasons alone would prevent any office location from having this equipment onsite.

If one already have a passport and have to travel, in case his/her passport will expire in six months or one year, one can renew passport in a few hours by showing a plane ticket and paying an extra fee.
It takes longer only for the first time applying candidates, as government have to go through a long process of verifying the documents. For the fist time candidates they will not be able to make passport in a few hours. When I apply first time, my passport was ready in one month.
Just go to the office and ask.

Sorry, but this is not accurate. You cannot fully renew any passport in a few hours. It's not like they stamp your existing one and this automatically renew's it for another 5 years. You must have new photo's taken (and notarized) and a renewal application filled out and processed. In other words, a brand new passport needs to be printed and issued. I am about to renew (bascially apply for) my 3rd passport and trust me when I say, the process has not simplified in any way over the years. In fact, it has become much more involved.

There may be some sort of caveat in place if your passport has 6 months remaining before it expires and you have tickets for traveling during that pre-expiry period (?). But again, this has nothing to do with renewing your passport.

BTW, I submitted all the necessary doc's for my last 2 passports in person and requested a 'rush' both times. In both cases I received my passport 5 business days later, and this was considered an extremely fast turn-around. With today's current passport app's flooding the system, I will consider myself lucky if I receive my new passport after 10 business days (and again I intend to apply in person and pay extra to 'rush' it).

free skin care · Sun Apr 29, 2007 9:28 am

ScotsLass wrote:

Lara1 wrote:

ScotsLass wrote:

Lara1 wrote:

You can get your passport in a few hours (for an extra fee), if you have a ticket indicating that you have to travel in one week or so.

I know that you can pay an extra fee to expediate the passport process and (hopefully) receive it within a week to 10 days. But I have never known anyone to receive their passport "in a few hours" (regardless of impending travel plans or airline tickets). Apart from the applicants information needing to be verified through Ottawa, it would be impossible for the passport book alone to be printed and received within this minuscule time-frame as the individual passport offices do not produce these documents inhouse. Passports not only feature a digitally printed photo of the bearer that is embedded into the identification page of the booklet, they also contain holographic images and a second hidden photo of the bearer that can only be viewed under ultraviolet light. This requires highly specialized printing equipment (using similar technologies to those that print money). Security reasons alone would prevent any office location from having this equipment onsite.

If one already have a passport and have to travel, in case his/her passport will expire in six months or one year, one can renew passport in a few hours by showing a plane ticket and paying an extra fee.
It takes longer only for the first time applying candidates, as government have to go through a long process of verifying the documents. For the fist time candidates they will not be able to make passport in a few hours. When I apply first time, my passport was ready in one month.
Just go to the office and ask.

Sorry, but this is not accurate. You cannot fully renew any passport in a few hours. It's not like they stamp your existing one and this automatically renew's it for another 5 years. You must have new photo's taken (and notarized) and a renewal application filled out and processed. In other words, a brand new passport needs to be printed and issued. I am about to renew (bascially apply for) my 3rd passport and trust me when I say, the process has not simplified in any way over the years. In fact, it has become much more involved.

There may be some sort of caveat in place if your passport has 6 months remaining before it expires and you have tickets for traveling during that pre-expiry period (?). But again, this has nothing to do with renewing your passport.

BTW, I submitted all the necessary doc's for my last 2 passports in person and requested a 'rush' both times. In both cases I received my passport 5 business days later, and this was considered an extremely fast turn-around. With today's current passport app's flooding the system, I will consider myself lucky if I receive my new passport after 10 business days (and again I intend to apply in person and pay extra to 'rush' it).

As I said before: It is possible! You have to bring photos (notarized and signed)and application to the office and prove (a plain ticket) in order to renew your passport. I did it last year. I have waited at the office for a little more than two hours and got my passport. Just requesting a "rush" as you said, will not work, you have to bring a prove that you need to travel very soon (a plain ticket).
May be this year they changed the rules, but last year I was able to renew my passport in a few hours.
I would suggest again to go to the office and ask.

free skin care · Sun Apr 29, 2007 1:38 pm

Received mine last week - took a total of 8 weeks. My daughter has not received hers yet - going on 9 weeks. This is for overseas travel in 3 weeks. Keeping our fingers crossed that it arrives shortly. The U.S. Passport website states a 10 week turnaround.

free skin care · Mon Apr 30, 2007 1:50 pm

OMG!!! I waited in the passport office at 7:30am and there was a huge lineup in Vancouver canada for passports. I have gone online to fill out the application and printed it out... however i still had to wait in the massive line-up (since everyone now is wanting to travel in the summer and since 2007 canadians need a passport to travel to the states). So i waited in line for 4.5 hours, after that the office could not take in any more people so I ended up just dropping off my application, they photo copied my drivers lisence and birth certificate and I should recieve my passport in the mail in 6 weeks. If you are planning to travel in the summer, good luck!

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